Seven ages of rock - a history of rock music over the past 50 years

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• Bob, Madison, Alabama USA
  This episode has been the best of the series and they all have been quite good. I quite agree with Jayne from Sheffield on the emotional aspects of this powerful episode; it should win some kind of award for excellence in video journalism. I have been digging out all of my old REM and Nirvana videos. Kurt Cobain truly was the last great rock star.

  liam
  how come it says "Alternative Rock 1980 - 1994" grunge did NOT end with nirvana, its still goin 2day!!!! woooo rage against tha machine are back!! just wish soundgarden would to0 :(

  liam
  no soundgarden or rage against the machine

  Dan, England
  Completely useless if it don't have Pavement, obviosly.

  peter cullum crawley
  good show but could hd said more about the grunge scenenirvana are great pearl jam are great so are the rest

  Nic, Derby
  Kurt Cobain was clearly the Sid Vicious of the 1990's. Obviously he struggled to face up to the problems he had and only saw one way out. R.E.M represented the more mellow side of Alternative Rock, stuff you could listen to in the car.

  Jayne, Sheffield
  Loved this episode. The best one of the series and actually learned a lot I didn't know about Nirvana etc. Quite an emotional episode as well. It's good to see a program such as this one on the BBC and have enjoyed the whole series.

  Julie
  yeah daydream nation rules

  Chris, Cornwall
  With the grunge movement being covered, I do feel that Alice in Chains would have been worth at least a passing mention, having been on the scene much earlier than Nirvana, and with an equally heart-tugging tragic story.

  dave in sheffield
  You would think that Mark Lanegan doesn't exist what about the Screaming Trees.....?The Nirvana story is important but why are the BBC so conventional in this series.Poor at best and DULL the rest of the time.The Seven Ages of Rock has been a major disappointment and not a patch on the Dancing in the Street series of the 1990's. Pull your socks up BBC.....

  Alan, Liverpool
  Great documentary on the rise and fall of Nirvana. I keep hearing people saying how we've heard this tragic story sooooo many times, but this programme isn't neccesarily designed for music experts, and Cobain's story therefore had to be told. Neverthless, there's more to american alt. rock than just grunge, and I agree that leaving out Sonic Youth was a bad move. Indeed, I would say Daydream Nation was a more influential record than Nevermind ever was... what do you think? :)

  Owain, Brighton
  It had me in tears, which was a 1st for TV. Perhaps I was just emotionally delicate after 'indulgence' at Glastonbury but I shall now be listening to Nirvana with greater appreciation. Nice to hear the Pixies.

  Tim II, Southampton
  I can't believe I missed this episode.I need this!! Please release this on DVDin the VERY near future!!!!!

  Jayney-kinzz
  I love Nirvana, they were a great band..

  James, London
  A programme named after a Replacements song that i had long awaited - and they get all of 20 seconds of coverage - more went on the poodle rock clips of poison/van halen etc. Don't get me started that the the Beatles and Black Sabbath get more air time than the Dead Kennedys - they were the spiritual grandfathers of counterculture. Minneapolis produced Prince, Husker Du and The Mats and they get less than a passing nod. Another join-the-cliches Cobain hagiography which would totally mislead anyone new to the area of music. Charles Shaar Murray hang your head in shame.

  Clare, Welwyn Garden City
  I think this was a fantastic documentary. I for one was amazed to hear Dave Grohl talking honestly and directly about Nirvana and Kurt Cobain. Yes, there were bands that weren't mentioned but only so much can be covered in depth in one show. For those of you saying Soundgarden and Pearl Jam weren't mentioned, I saw them, so you obviously weren't paying attention. Also, if this was an "obvious" documentary then it would have talked about Courtney Love which it didn't ... again another artist not covered, but you can't include every single artist in a genre when you are covering 7 ages of rock in 7 shows. The best thing this show did for me is remind me to listen to the early stuff in my cd collection that I haven't heard for many years. I don't think you can call a show that mentions Husker Du one that is 'watered down'.

  Chris Gee, Merseyside
  I enjoyed the programme and I understand it is obviously made for the mainstream rock audience so it had to profile R.E.M. and Nirvana foremost. However, I did notice the small Sonic Youth cameo at the beginning with the mesmerising song Hyperstation played during the talk about Kurt Cobain and the brief flicks of both Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore. This begs the question though that Sonic Youth should have got a proper slot as 1) they were one of Kurt Cobain's favourite bands 2) they recommended Nirvana to Geffen 3) went on the seminal European tour with them in 1991. They may not be as commercial but they are often cited as one of the greatest alternative rock bands and having one of the greatest and most influential albums with 1988's 'Daydream Nation'.

  Kate, Bristol
  Tool?

  Paul, Secret
  Will this be coming out on dvd at all, does anybody know? It was real good and I'd look forward to picking up a copy.

  boz , london
  this was the best chapter to date missed the first 10 minutes on sat,put the timer for friday,but got something else Will they be repeating this one again as only one i,ve missed

  Tom, Durham
  Got about 50 minutes in and I realised that there was going to be no mention of Dinosaur Jr, yes that's Dinosaur Jr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Shocking ommission.Freak Scene is arguably one of the top 'indie' anthems of that era. Cheers for telling the whole Nirvana story - again!! Poor.

  tina ,china
  I like it

  Reid, London
  The 'Alternative' episode sucked. You lost me at: "coming from Aberdeen, Nirvana only had one place to go: Seattle." Yeah, except they had to go through OLYMPIA to get there. By missing that out, the documentary ommited the entire 'Alternative' element of the scene.In Seattle, long-haired boys in sweaty rock bands were ten a penny. Ever since the 1960's, long-haired boys in sweaty rock bands were ten a penny. How different?This documentary bored me. For what really happened, go read Michael Azerrad's "Our Band Could Be Your Life." Much more accurate.

  David, Leeds
  Ha Ha Ha. Hilarious reading these posts. Can't believe the cheeck of DANIEL IN CORK. Yes, CORK in Ireland. He moans about this being a waste of money. Whose money? Not your's matey - since your in Eire and you don't pay the license fee. I thought this was a good programme and I really liked seeing Frank Black regardless of how long he was on screen (and it was more than 10 seconds ...). Be thankful for getting some quality stuff for (as we say here in Leeds) for NOWT. And as someone here said the that other cheeky whinger in Holland, let me know when Irish TV produces something worth watching (especially since I won't have paid for it). Cheeky beggar!!

  Ross, Ireland
  No Radiohead. Nice. You people really dont have a f#*!ing clue do you.

  Stuart, Harrogate
  Rarely have I been so mesmerised by music programmes and never before have I seen Michael Stipe speak so honestly and emotionally. This was superb as was most (but not all) of this fantastic series. As someone else said on this post (hidden amonst the endless unintelligible moaning about where is my band), this is exactly why we pay the license fee.

  Jeannie, Swansea
  I'd never heard about this could have been collaboration between REM and Nirvana and I found it fascinating. Nirvana never did it for me but this programme really explained their significance. I'm off to buy Nevermind. So, thank you for that.

  Alec, London
  FANTASTIC!!! This series has just got better and better and I am really looking forward to the closing show on Saturday. I am amazed at the carping about who hasn't been covered. It didn't matter to me that they left people out. I'd rather have a bit of quality time with fewer artists than just another I LOVE ROCK MUSIC type show. This Nirvana film had a great mood and look plus it was intelligently framed against the politics of the time. Brilliant stuff and thank you for it!

  David, Bollington
  Living in the world of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Mulligan, Mingus and the MJQ, and not knowing much of REM, the Pixies, Nirvana and Kurt Cobain, Left of the Dial was an absolutely brilliant ear and eye opener. If that's dumbing down, I'm hooked.

  matt, england
  i love and respect nirvana and kurt cobain's music and i believe this show was very nearly a perfect!

  Ronald, Suffolk
  Hey, Stig in Amsterdam Ain't you lucky? You get to see quality British TV for free because as far as I know, you Dutch guys don't pay the pesky license fee. And yet you moan. Oh dear .. I have to say I can't remember the last time I watched a big music series made in Holland. Maybe the Mouth & McNeal Story is in production???

  Giles, Streatham
  Rob in Brighton, get over it. Who cares about the Minute Men and all the other really obscure names you throw up? Clearly, this documentary was not intended for such a smug know-it-all. I had not heard these stories before so it felt fresh to me. And has it not occurred to you that the BBC are trying to tell compelling stories rather than just satisfy music geeks like you? I saw the (over-rated) Don Mister Punk Film-Maker Letts DVD on punk attitude (never shown on TV - straight to DVD ... that tells you somethign) and I thought it was a shambolic mess. So, I quite understand how you might have missed the point about this programme. I, for one, loved it and I can't stand Nirvana or, indeed, REM.

  Stig, Amsterdam
  Best in the series, but as for all the other programmes too much focus on the commercially succesful stars. There is so much that could have been included, but they just seem to be smitten with repeating the bleeding obvious.

  Diana, London
  If you include everyone mentioned, you'll need at least six hours broadcasting. Perhaps invent a series called 'Sub Genres' and do six programmes on 'Grunge and Alternative Rock'.Actually no one mentioned that Kurt Cobain was once a roadie for The Melvins and this band influenced his music.I was waiting to hear a mention of Camper Van Beethoven. They toured extensively with REM in 1986, but it looks like Kurt and Nirvana takes presidence.Anyway thanks for an entertaining show.

  Ian, Lancashire
  Yes, I agree Jonathan, Huddersfield, Husker Du's copy of Eight Miles High is fantastic. Got it on pink 7" vinyl.By the way, if anyone has a copy of Blast First's Compilation album ' Nothing Short of Total War' on CD please let me know. The live version of Big Black's 'Kerosene' is brilliant.

  matt, basingstoke on the aberystwyth
  this was a watered down foray into a music scene that was really vibrant. Sad to say, i am not surprised about the content of the programme, it highlights our society where all aspects of information is dumbed down to cater for the middle of the road in society. Now, im not saying (pre automatic) REM and Nirvana are middle of the road, but by focusing on 2 of the biggest bands of the scene, the masses and general viewers of the programme have an easier depiction of the era in which to learn about. It is like GCSE human geography compared to degree level human geography, two totally different subjects! Oh and by the way sonic youth have influenced just as many bands as Nirvana or Rem!

  Rob, Brighton
  No Sonic Youth, No Minute Men, No Beat Happening, No Big Black, No Dinosaur Jr, No Throwing Muses and a picture of Tobi Vail shown when the narrator was refering to Kathaleen Hannah. A terrible, terrible documentary that heaped on cliche after cliche after cliche.To watch this programme one would thing that the entire 80s underground consisted of the interior life of Kurt Cobain and REM. If i wanted to watch a bad Nirvana documentary i'd watch a bad Nirvana documentary. This was a complete and utter hack job -clearly someone had done very little homework on the subject and wasn't really interested in delving into the subject. I watch Don Lett's Punk:Attitude film last nigth and the 10 minutes or so that it devoted to the 80s underground in America was more interesting and illuminating then anything covered in this bloated, torpid rubbish.

  Neil, Ynys Mon
  I’d been looking forward to this episode, as I’m a big Alt Rock fan. But after reading most of these comments, I’m glad I missed it!From what I’ve read it seems there was no mention of The Stooges, MC5, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Dinosaur Jr, Jane’s Addiction, Faith No More (they don’t come more alternative!)… Incredible. Skin Yard, U-Men & The Melvins surely also important.How can you mention Nirvana, without mentioning Green River and Soundgarden?!Many people consider Green River to be the ‘first Grunge’ band. Two of the members, Jeff Ament & Stone Gossard went on to form Mother Love Bone and then Pearl Jam. I’m a massive Pearl Jam fan, so I won’t go into their omission in case I get too angry!! Without Soundgarden, I doubt the whole ‘Seattle’ thing would have ever taken off. The, now legendary, Sub Pop record label was set up especially for Soundgarden. They then went on to become the first of the’Seattle/Grunge’ scene to sign to a major label, paving the way for the rest to follow.Where were Alice In Chains, Screaming Trees, Smashing Pumpkins…?!From a British perspective, I’m sure the Manic Street Preachers deserved a mention. Their ‘Holy Bible’ is one of the finest alternative albums of all time.It just seems, from the comments I’ve read, that it’s been a missed opportunity to open people’s mind to some new names. After all, whatever their roots, in the end Nirvana and REM had become household names.Ah well, just my opinion…

  Marlene, Southampton
  Nirvana was a terrible over rated band, REM is not really rock in my books. So I did not bother watching this episode and I won't bother with the next one either: it is about Rock, not Indie!

  Pa$k, London
  Everything in this series is a retread of documentaries past. The story of the Sex Pistols, of Nevermind (Butch Vig talking AGAIN about double-tracking Kurt's vocals?) I don't understand how this has been labelled a 'landmark' series; it seems to be the same old format of picking an era-defining (i.e. commercial crossover) record and getting the usual bunch of talking heads to spout the standard anecdotes. What the hell, people!

  charlfoo
  No mention of The Melvins or Sonic Youth eh? Hmm...a bit of a mistake there

  Steve, South Wales
  I was really looking forward to this programme but it should have been called "The Michael and Kurt Show". All but two bands were resticted to cameo roles. Perhaps the BBC thinks that we haven't seen enough of Michael Stipe preening himself? Or perhaps we need to go over the Nirvana story just one more time? They picked the right bands to provide a detailed insight into the biggest influencers of the genre, but instead blew the opportunity by wholly focusing on the biggest unit shifters instead. This programme has been done by MTV, VH1 dozens of times before so not exactly original."Disappointing" is the word.

  robby tee, cornwall
  if vedder blew his brains out instead of cobain we would all still be harping on about how good ten is rather than nevermind ! buttholes are altenative and thats that.

  Paul, Birmingham
  The BBC usually does top notch music programmes but this whole series is a confused mish mash. Each programme has concentrated a large portion of its time to the artists interviewed and their careers rather than giving a more wide ranging overview of the leading bands of each movement. This means some of the biggest and most influential artists of each genre barely got a mention (if at all ie. no AC/DC or Motorhead in Heavy Metal ???) and some genres (like new wave/80's alternative) didn't even get a programme.Left of the dial was supposed to be about alternative rock but ended up being a show about REM and Nirvana (who have already been covered to death). Why even bother if you are only going to cover three bands ?This whole series has been badly thought out and concieved.

  Lou, Doncaster
  I don't care that some people were missed out. This - like most of the others I've seen (didn't like programme 2 that much) - told a great story and one that I hadn't heard before.

  Jon, Fulham, London
  I loved this programme. Really emotional stuff - made me cry! And I never liked Nirvana! Great website, too.

  Kate, Middlesborough
  I LOVED this programme. It was great to see the Pixies and to finally see them get the credit for the quiet-loud thing. I've really loved some of the programmes in this series but this was the best so far. Ignore the moans about missing bands - I'd much rather have something in depth - like this - than the usual dross that passes off as music television.

  Tris, Coventry
  This series just gets better and better. I really enjoyed Saturday's programme. Fantastic line up and superb to see Kurt Novoselic talk so openly -- and emotionally - about Kurt Cobain. And I'd never heard of that connection between REM and Nirvana. Great stuff and exactly why I pay the license fee!

  Jamal, London
  A documentary on US alt.rock that doesn't mention Sonic Youth is like a documentary on the New Testament that doesn't mention Jesus. It's a REALLY baffling omission. Some great archive footage, though

  Ian, Lancashire, England
  Great programme! However, this sort of programme is always proceded by wish lists and cries of omissions - some of which aren't relevant to this great era. So as not to miss out he goes!One main omission was Steve Albini (engineer to some 2,000+ albums - Pixies, Jesus Lizard, Fugazi, etc). Not only were Scratch Acid, Big Black, Rapeman, and now Shellac, a huge influence on this genre (and me), Albini was a strong supporter such as Touch and Go Records.I know time is very limited on these sort of issues but he deserves a big mention - as do the Butthole Surfers (well not as big), who were amongst the bands who inspired Kurt C, Sonic Youth, and may other bands on Sub Pop, Black First, Alt Tentacles.

  Daniel, Cork
  This was, without a doubt, the poorest episode of the Seven Ages series. To present the entire growth of college- and alt-rock in the US thought the prism of one individual - Cobain - was an ill conceived notion.All the other episodes of this series have made at least some effort to show the development of the music, the personalities involved - here we had a hagiography of Kurt, including multiple pointless meandering interviews with (some of his legions of) self-serving biographers. In the program notes the director states that the crew went all the way to Eugene, Oregon to interview Frank Black - considering he was in screen for all of ten seconds, I can see that was money well spent. No history, no sense of the presence of the fans - just Kurt this, Kurt that, Kurt the other. Kurt died. He stuck a gun in his mouth and betrayed his genius. There were so many others who produced wonderful exciting powerful music who should have been included in this, but were passed over for this waste of time and money.

  Bill, Altadena (California - near L.A.)
  Pearl Jam needs more mentioning. "Ten" actually came out a month before "Nevermind" did. But I guess Nirvana grabbed the attention of the mainstream before PJ did. I still believe Pearl Jam should have been given more credit than you give them. I know their albums (post Vitalogy) weren't real sucesses to the mass public and only to the true fans, but they do count.

  Tim, London
  Although I understand hat an entire genre can't be covered during one hour, every program has irritated me with the excessive coverage of one particulr act. Patti Smith in the punk episode. The Police in the stadium rock episode. And REM during the latest. So rather than spending, for example, five minutes explaining where hardcore came from, or straight-edge, or the Replacements, or Sonic Youth, we get tediously excessive footage of REM. Explanations of vocal overdubs. Mandolins. Peter Buck "afraid of becoming a guitar icon" (WTF?). And don't get me started on the episode about the Police.

  Susan, Leeds
  Thank you so much for a great programme about the music I grew up with and bringing back memories of being a DJ on college radio back in the early 90s. R.E.M. will always be my favourite band and I love being reminded of how they achieved their success on their own terms. But, it was also great to see Mudhoney, Husker Du, the Replacements and the Pixies. I know that many people are going to be disappointed about the bands that were omitted, but this was a programme about a specific period of time and I don't think was supposed to be comprehensive study of US alternative music.

  Steven, London
  Sure Dinosaur Jr had more influence than Pixies on Nirvana?

  Jason Parkes, Worcester
  Sad that it had to be nailed to a solitary figure like Kurt Cobain for the most part, do we really need another retelling of the same old tragedy? Parts of it seemed to be the Classic Albums programme on Nevermind. & I loathe seeing producers playing around at the mixing desk. If the programme was going to be on Cobain, why not feature the journalist Everett True? Odd that the documentary didn't realise that the term "grunge" was originally a joke and I found it odd that Michael Azerrad was talking about the Pixies, when he didn't cover them in his book as they were on major label in the US! Where was the indie ethic common to US alt rock? Why did we only get a snatch of Left of the Dial and the cover to Let It Be and not more Replacements? & a brief bit of Pink Turns to Blue by Husker Du seemed equally slim. So many names forgotten - Sonic Youth, Melvins (Nirvana would have been nowhere without them), Dinosaur Jr, Fugazi, Rites of Spring, Embrace, Bad Brains, X, The Germs, The Wipers, Beat Happening, Violent Femmes, Screaming Trees, Pussy Galore, etc. This kind of simplistic programme just isn't enough...I think this episode showed a weakness in the notion of just taking a few significant names and going with them - this gives across an accepted list of classics. Which I loathe. & talking about Alice in Chains and Soundgarden as precursors of grunge is almost as irritating as showing Nirvana images to a Pearl Jam song - when the two bands had a falling out and PJ were far more a trad rock band. & what about Green River, surely they were key to the Seattle thing alongside the Melvins?

  Ben Robey, Bracklesham Bay
  Where the hell are Green Day. Dookie was one of the best albums in the 90's and I would say that they had the best performance as well at woodstock 94.They are the one of the most sucessful rock bands in the world and they are still going to this day. So why are'nt they in there?

  Jules
  Overall i thought that was amazing! the early footage of REM and Nirvana unplugged was incredible. But not even a mention of Sonic Youth? aside from that snippet with Kim Gordon. And Pearl Jam were briefly mentioned as 'scene followers' haha i wonder if the narrator is aware that Ten was released shortly before Nevermind, or if he has heard of Green River and Mother Love Bone. Green River were also a huge influence on Kurt Cobain, and Mark Arm went on to front Mudhoney. Also classing The Smashing Pumpkins along with the 'Seattle Sound'? They would hate that, as they are from Chicago and have never associated themselves with grunge. Also, about 20 min less on Kurt's suicide and more on his music would have been lovely. Otherwise kudos on a great episode.

  matt, basingstoke on the aberystwyth
  having seen the show, i can say it was better than i anticipated. Although it did seem more like the Nirvana and REM show with the other bands playing the supporting role far in the background. True REM and Nirvana were important, very much so, but focusing on two bands in such depth actually makes the scene at the time seem rather thin, ignoring the breadth of bands that made underground and alternative music seem so vibrant back then. All the other bands mentioned get bit parts and i would also say little is mentioned about the impact of the actual music, about the songs and the albums that captivated audiences at the time. To be fair it is hard to represent the movement in one hour long programme, but i feel more credit should be paid to the scene as a whole, rather than two bands.

  Emma, Birmingham.
  Where were Sonic Youth? It's a travesty that they were ignored.

  Christie Pena-Bauer
  This show was just brilliant! I felt like I was really taken back to my high school days all over again. Having been there when it all started and was new, it was truly groundbreaking and pivotal. Even then, our generation felt as if we were onto to something important. Say what you might about Nirvana being over-rated, but when they first came out they were absolultely out of this world. And they inspired me to dive deeper into 'alternative' music Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden and the like. Thanks to this program, I'm now shopping on Amazon for all these CDs as I only had cassette tapes of these great bands! Well done!

  Me, Leeds
  this has been a great series, thus far, and enjoyed tonight's programme also.but feel that the writer(s) fell into the same sensationalistic brand of journalism that contributed to doing in Kurt Cobain's head.tonight's programme was not a true representation of musical/rock history.you simply cannot try and make a programme purporting to document American Alt Rock by giving only a cursory mention to bands Sonic Youth.Just because they haven't died yet.Don't get me wrong, I loved Nirvana, and I bought Bleach as soon as it came out. Actually preferred Mudhoney, initially, and elected to see them live instead of Nirvana.Couldn't bring myself to buy Nevermind because of all the hype, which is a shame, and my own stupid fault, because it's an incredible piece of work. Learnt my lesson.Do us all favour, be less like the hype-merchants, stop perpetuating the legend myth and be more like John Peel.These guys are talented, and that should be recognised,but they're also human beings, some rather more sensitive than others.Yes, we all need heroes. Just let them live.John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Syd Barratt, Keith Moon, Brian Jones et al.We don't need any more people who create wonderful things adding to this list prematurely.Is that what you want? cos that's what'll appen.

  Matt, Guildford
  I'm really enjoying this show and tonights alt-rock episode was my favourite so far, but it's such a shame that the focus is so narrow. I understand it's because there are time constraints and the main message needs to be got across, but there are enormous things being missed out.There's was only passing mention of the big 4 grunge bands (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains). It would have been lovely to have seen the stories of the rivalry/friendships that developed between them, which was a MAJOR part of the so-called grunge revolution.Then there are the Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails and the like who branched off with their own sounds and continue to be immensely popular.Good job anyway, I'm enjoying it, I just wish there could be more detail.

  stef, london
  pearl jam are so commercial that can make a show together with hanson and take that.i can't believe anyone who really loves band like nirvana and sonic youth can listen to that phony band

  Steve, Leicester
  Anybody watching this would think that the only grunge and alternative bands were R.E.M and Nirvana.Black Flag and the pixies only seemed to be included to show where Nirvana got there sound from and there was one quick mention of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, but that was it. No in depth articles on any other bands.The so called grunge era had more than one iconic group.and surely Nine Inch Nails are classed as an alternative band

  steven leicester
  when you can put on nirvana's NeverMind ablum you are trasported to another place in time and theres not a single ablum i can listen to to have the same feeling .

  steven , leicester
  im very looking forward to this show and i have been looking forward to it as this show started on the bbc , and this one is the one for me as seems as i was just growning up in the 90s so being 8 years old at the time and only 12 when nirvana left the seen , iv followed nirvana a nirvana ,rem , sonicyouth which inspired me to want to watch this show over and over again thank very much !

  Gordon, Falkirk
  Pfft, it's hardly an Alternative Rock programme without The Pumpkins.Nirvana were OVER-RATED, enough said.

  Jesus -Manchester
  What about the diverse post-punk scene that preceeded Nirvana et al? Ok, maybe not enough programmes to cover but the crossover should be mentioned. History does not progress in isolated static blocks. Post-punk laid the groundwork for alt rock and, of course, the so-called mass produced 'Indie' scene of late nineties. It was the time when I and my peers were growing up into late teens. Too young for punk, too old for alt rock I guess. Ok I admit it I just wanted to see Half Man Half Biscuit strut their stuff one more time (not to mention Birthday Party-Nick Cave-The Fall-Wire-Joy Division-Throbbing Gristle et al from Postcard Records, Factory Records, Axis/4AD, Falling A Records, Industrial Records, Fast Product, and Mute Records).

  wokoil, Bristol
  Shame there was no mention of Bad Brains, Minor Threat or Fugazi - these should have been essential bands to include in the series

  Steve, Bath
  What about Jeff Buckley? truly brilliant, inspired a whole crop of bands like cold play, Muse etc and invented a genre. Underated in the 90s but went on to inspire a generation.

  Adam, Bremhill
  Yes, Pearl Jam's live collaberations with Neil Young are amazing!!! Find them online - or get a DVD. Him and them were destined to play together - they work so well as a supergroup...even though Neil Young started the road in the country sort of area..

  Raith, Fife
  Nirvana is such an obvious choice and as the years pass I go off them even more. Good to see Sonic Youth and Black Flag being mentioned. Probably hoping for too much to see Minor Threat, Slint or the amazing Minutemen get a mention.

  Brett Summers Southampton
  You shouldnt even comment on the Seattle scene unless you cover Mother Love Bone. The death of their lead singer Andrew Wood had more of an impact on the music scene than Kurt's ever did. From the ashes of Mother Love Bone came a whole host of bands and collaberations.

  Jonathan Campbell : Huddersfield
  Think I may have to record this one and watch again and again - still, why no mention of Big Black? Kerosene got me through my A Levels and Steve Albini went on to produce Nirvana's Bleach album. Husker Du? Wrote the finest alt. pop song in Divide & Conquer - 3 mins of refined noise and it never fails to get me going. Check out their cover of The Byrds "8 Miles High....."

  Karl, London
  One question:Pavement?

  gidionicsdotcom,amsterdam
  Although this is a show dedicated to American music it should be remembered that without the John Peel show in the 1980s much of this music would never have reached an audience in the UK.God bless him.I agree that Sonic Youth should have been included-they were,and are still, an inspiration to many .... I remember seeing them - with Mudhoney as support act.The Minutemen,Butthole Surfers,Minor Threat and of course the Dead Kennedys could also have been included....I look forward to the part about Husker Du'-they deserve a place in history for "Zen Arcade".I also expect a dose of nostalgia-I saw the Pixies on their 1st UK tour so I look forward to the footage.REM are completely out of place in this documentary....I can only guess that they are included to attract a larger audience.....

  Elly Holland
  With suchs lyricks and a voice of Michael Stipe it can't be another band...only REM. Oké I like Cat Stevens too...

  Col, London
  The omission of Jane's Addiction boggles the mind for several reasons- They were one of the first alternative bands to sign to a major, and go mainstream. They truly lived the alternative lifestyle, as it were and sung about it. And, Perry Farrell set uopLollapolooza, which was one of the most sucessful alternative rock festivals ever in the States, and helped many alternative bands gain much greater attention.Also, minutemen and sublime deserve a mention too,

  Laurence, London
  Smashing Pumpkins?

  chris, poole
  seven nirvana songs, and not a meantion of soundgarden or alice in chains :|

  Deborah, Chester
  I love this programme :]I spend all week looking forward to it!Amazing.

  Kev, Sheffield
  Got to admit i am really looking forward to this show, this is when i felt that i had really found some music of my own, bands like the pixies, nirvana, dinosaur jr, mud honey, sonic youth and rage against the machine really inspired me, at a time when every body else at school was listening to things like 2 unlimited. so far your shows have reassured one thing for me, my love for music. So Thank you.

  Martin, Leicester
  I can see how the omission of bands like Sonic Youth etc can seem a bit rich but personally I'm just glad Pixies are going to be included in this programme. Let's face it... there aren't many bands that inspired later bands the way they did.

  Shazzam, London
  What happenned to Whitesnake why were they not mentioned during the heavy metal programme! They were also one of the most famous heavy metal bands! My favourite infact! David Coverdale was sexy I may like to add.

  Jimmy, Ireland
  The most shocking omission here is Sonic Youth. However, I don't think I've ever heard any British music documentary mention Husker Du or Black Flag before, so this will be class in that respect.In fairness though, the program isn't about what music was the best at certain times, it's about what bands made the most lasting and memorable impact in mainstream culture. Now you can say that Nirvana essentially just got lucky to release Nevermind, such a heavy marketed album with the right sound, at the right time, and that there were loads of other bands before them with similar albums/sounds, but that isn't the point of this program. Nirvana defined the grunge era in the mind of the mainstream. Black Flag led to Husker Du and both were very influential in shaping the post punk sound that became grunge, and arguably Husker Du was the most influential band on grunge, hence their inclusion. As for not including other grunge heavyweights like AIC or Pearl Jam, well the problem with them is that they didn't define the era, they were simply part of it.

  Kurt Staley Seattle
  Listen Dumbass matt you best watch wat u r saying about nirvana and alice in chains also stone temple pilots who do u think u r the people in these bands at least had talent but wat bout u just a pathetic red neck loser commercial d******d who probably can not even play good music like them.

  JX Hawke, Rockville
  No Jeff Buckley, perhaps your saving him for the first of the next 7 ages - the sequel series. Damn important Mr Buckley, he seemed to shape music beyond the grave like no other.

  Jeff Heslop, Barton, North Yorkshire
  Is this an American programme. No mention of the Cure?????

  Luca - London
  Considering the amount of footage dedicated to (the awful) Judas Priest (who??????) a few weeks ago, not to give at least 5 minutes to Pearl Jam (who after all have sold more records than any other grunge band) is very disappointing!! Also, why no mention of Sound Garden (who started it all off) Alice in Chains, and (although not technically grunge) Rage Against the Machine

  Steve Highton,Marylebone,London W.1
  Some of the comments have been pretty scathing.i.eWhat about AC/DC what about Radiohead,what about Guns n Roses?I could go on.No,I don't work for the BBC,I find them tediously politically correct,but credit where credit's due,Seven Ages is an excellent music documentary.The music spectrum is so vast some of these "important"bands couldn't possibly ALL be mentioned or the programme would never progress to the next genre.A lot of my favourites aren't there,but that's not stopping me from enjoying it immensely.

  Will, Barnsley
  Maybe Nirvana were overrated, but maybe people are forgetting the sheer breath of fresh air that they and so many other grunge bands were in contrast to the embarrassing corporate hair metal bands which flooded the charts at that time. Is it not fair to say that without Nirvana, today's music scene would be very different if not intolerable? We must acknowledge Nirvana for that. We owe them that at least .

  Ruud, Birmingham
  looking forward to next episode, Replacements - Was 'Let It Be' popular in Britain? Lots of people mentioned who should be there. Anybody mentioned Neil Young? Happened to play with Pearl Jam, didn't he?

  starlett
  nirvana was the best band of the late 80s early 90s, i dont know what we would have done without nirvana. it was so sad when kurt killed himself, he was the best. there has never been another kurt cobain!!!!!

  Joe, Kent
  Disapointing preview of the Alt rock bit, though it might be better watching it than reading about it. Pearl Jam, whilst they may or may not deserve to be in the programme, are certainly not a 'joker' band. Pumpkins would've been good, Pavement, Sonic Youth etc...Just hope its not the same old boring rehash of KCs death eh?

  Steve, Northern Ireland
  They really can't have a progamme detailing alt-rock and not include Jane's Addiction. I agree with the poster who spoke about them.Also, we don't need to hear any more about Nirvana as we have all heard about them. The more Pearl Jam and Soundgarden the better

  David
  Now I'm a big Sonic Youth fan and Pearl Jam's Ten is one of my favourite albums but I'm sick of people complaining about there being no RHCP or NIN. You can't honestly expect them to put in everyone's favourite bands in an hour long show. Some are even wanting there to be more of certain bands that are already on and although Nirvana aren't as good as some of the bands that aren't on, not having them at all, which some of you are wanting, is out of the question! Just think about how many complaints that would get. And who else are you sugesting they take out to make room for Radiohead and Soundgarden?

  ollie
  The problem is with a programme like this is you are always going to miss out on somebody, which i think in a way shows the beauty of music. everyone has different experiences and everyone has there favourites. i suppose nirvana in this case are the biggest branch of the alternative tree for people today which is a shame in a way. But peopel like Eddie Vedder shunned that limelight so i suppose Nirvana are welcome to it.

  CSK, Oxford
  You could talk for hours about who isn't listed here. As I remember it, it was part & parcel of 'the scene' to find the latest obscure Sub Pop release, or influence on alternative rock. Afghan Whigs, Mudhoney, Pavement, The Raincoats, Temple of Dog, The Melvins, The Breeders, Belly etc etc etc. I also feel just as importantly the UK had PJ Harvey, Radiohead, Teenage Fanclub, Molly Half Head, Bandit Queen, Blessed Ethel and later on Ash (although the Irish trio were never to my tastes). But lets make no bones about it, as a 16 year old boy in 1991 it all stemmed from the discovery of Nirvana and the difference they made to the rock scene at the time (Use your Illusion anybody?)

  tom
  I know they were in england but this show needs to mention terrorvision as they were doing the same thing as nirvana at the same time in the UK. They never get mentioned in any of these lists of alternative bands due to the number of american bands but come on, those guys are the british equivalent to any of these "great" american grundge bands!!!

  tom o'connor, buxton
  How can you have alternative rock without mentioning smashing pumpkins. you guys suck for missing out the biggest band of that age of rock

  Danny, Kent
  What about one hit wonders like Life,sex and Death???Just a band that had big stardom in the beginning of the nineties and a big influance to others.Bands like Alice in chains, Bush, Guns and roses, Soundgarden and RatM i miss big time in the list of the bbc.Just a show on tv about the Hype of the time.I give it a big miss.

  Harry Manback
  Where is Tool?

  Euan Lindsay, Glasgow
  Again I'd say it's a shame that Sonic Youth, Dino Jr, Pavement and Sebodoh haven't had a mention in this episode. These bands whilst smaller than the Pixies, REM and Nirvana probably together had a bigger impact.I would have loved the addition of Slint as well. But that would be really hoping for something

  Al, London
  R.E.M. were and still are one of the greatest bands...But where's Pearl Jam????

  Rob, Bewdley
  Surely Dave Grohl was the most important member of Nirvana?Look at the quality of work he has produced since then? ALl of which might never have been without Kurt's suicide...

  Mike - York
  "I've learned that there are a handful of honorable and sincere music lovers who are posing as the enemy to infiltrate the mechanics of the empire, to help destroy what we all have known for too long as s*@t rock, prefabricated, incestually and politically business orientated garbage, using a smoke screen to clog the arteries of true talent...." Kurt Cobain, Journals published 2002 Riverhead books.He then goes on to state his most influential bands including Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, Soundgarden,The Pixes, The Violent Femmes, R.E.M., The Vaselines and The Sex Pistols to name just a handful.Kurt Cobain was a very well educated man of music and clearly showed his admiration for others as well as hatred for the "ogre of a music industry". It seems ironic that he is the centre of this programme. Nirvana would not be around without these influences. Summing up a whole generation of music in one episode is pretty brave. I'm sure it will be a success and informative for those who wish to persue what they have learned and seek out as much as they can. Thank you to the BBC for attempting to influence the way people view music. If a few hundred more people go out there and buy something other than fabricated rock, it's been a triumph.

  Matthew
  NIRVANA TOTALLY RULES!!!!!!!!!

  Richard, Norfolk
  why don't you just call this episode nirvana and rem?its not like youve actually covered any of the genuine alt/rock bands.what a dissappointing episode you've made-especially after how interesting and varied the previous ones have been.

  Chris, then in Horley, now in Powys
  Perhaps the least celebrated, yet two of the most influential greats of the alternative rock period has to be 'minutemen' and later 'firehose'. REM, are you reading this. Anything Mike Watt got involved with seemed to get poor press in the UK. For those who don't know firehose, check out the albums 'fromohio', 'if'n' and 'ragin' full-on'. For a quick taste, listen to the track 'Chemical Wire'. I remember well their gig at the marquee, London (1992, I think?), a friend of mine (Darren) who had recently been introduced to the band mistakingly shouting out for them to play 'Chemical Warfare' between tracks. The band chuckled, we climbed on stage and began a marathon of stage diving and crowd surfing, joined in by what seemed to be half the crowd. Simply slapbassingly tastic. NME and Melody Maker shame on you.

  fausto , manchester
  how can you not have included jane's addiction?!? they set the precident for alternative rock in the early 90's breaking the ground for bands like nirvana.they managed to flirt with commercial world whilst keeping one foot strongly underground , i mean come on , ritual de lo habitual , jane says?frankly im disappointed much less appreciated bands of the time like jane's addiction are left in the sidelines when yet another documentary hails the overrated nevermind album and nirvana

  Jamie Williams, South Wales
  Anyone who says Nirvana were overrated must have hearing problems, they defined a generation like so many other class band before them. Soundgarden and Pearl Jam were good in they're day. Lets not forget Nine Inch Nails, a brilliant musician whose latest album - the theme and promotion work is out of this world. Emo music, what a joke!

  matt, basingstoke on the aberystwyth
  nirvana were way better than pearl jam, soundgarden and the awful alice chains, hence why they are held in higher esteem! yet sonic youth, pavement, radiohead, flaming lips (jeez they had a really good film made about them!), my bloody valentine, jesus n mary chain and sebadoh should be mentioned, not stone temple pilots as they were rotten!

  René, London
  None of these bands being mentioned can be called 'Alternative' ! They may be good bands but they aint alternative.One of the only truly alternative and innovative bands which has stealthily influenced modern music is Faith No More, Mike Pattons voice still the best in the rock business ever !How on earth could the program miss out such a huge influence, also what about Rage Against the Machine !!?

  William, Shipley
  I think what a lot of people are missing is that post-Nevermind, this sort of music is not alternative, but part of the mainstream. Therefore not bothering with RHCP or Radiohead is quite correct. The programme appears to be a Nirvana and REM fest, which is a bit disappointing (not because these bands are crap, well, Nirvana are a bit), but because so much has already been said/written, that it must have been a bit like shooting fish in a barrel for the docu-makers. Sure they both warrant particular attention, but it's the genesis of this scene that could do with exploring, back when it was alternative. People may like Pearl Jam, but what exactly are they an 'alternative' to? This is the legacy of Nevermind. Good to see Husker Du and the Replacements getting a mention, but the mighty Black Flag and DKs are earlier and more instrumental to the whole hardcore scene, particularly for starting up the vital SST and Alternative Tentacles labels.

  liam stock
  nirvana are way to over rated for how good they were. Why isnt green river mentioned they were the first grunge band, or bad mother love bone and not to mention soundgarden or pearl jam!! thats just stupid. and grunge didnt end with nirvana!!!! soundgarden were still goin after them and pearl jam r 2day

  Julie, Cambridge
  nirvana are good, rem are genius, but where are pearl jam, soundgarden, etc? considering pearl jam are still going strong today, doing their bit in terms of activism and i've heard were voted greatest American band EVER by readers of USA Today. and no QOTSA! or good modern rock, only boring indie.

  Lee B
  nirvana are over-rated and were never very good. id much rather tham have covere alice in chains or sound garden

  William, South Wales UK
  Should be great! They should have included Silverchair though! And the Melvins! Thank God there is no Chilli Peppers!

  Chris, Midlands
  I'm also bemused as to why some of the major bands I would consider essential alt-rock are missing!Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Blind Melon, Alice in chains, Pearl Jam...And I hoped this would be the best of the series! Argh

  Dan. Leicester.
  Seriously?No Alice In Chains?No Soundgarden?I like Nirvana but nothing can be said about them that hasn't been said already.

  John Greenwood, Shipley
  I was very excited about seeing the 'alternative rock' section of the series knowing that the whole Seattle Grunge scene without doubt, had to be covered. Having just viewed this website I am disappointed to discover the usual mainstream mentions. There has been nothing covered on mainstream TV (apart from Nirvana Unplugged in 1994 on BBC 2 shortly after Kurt's death). I was hoping people would have a chance to view how important this scene was, instead of looking at me with the same blank expression when I mention the 'G' word. Paul McCartney even stated Nirvana took the Beatles to the next level. Pearl Jam have never disappointed on any album, even though they may have mellowed recently, they came back recently with a very angst ridden LP. Vitalogy (released 1994) one of my favorite albums, expresses the struggle of stardom and most of the songs relate to the death of Kurt, something you probably did not pick up on, but was very important during that time. I suppose you just had to be there, living and breathing the scene in the early nineties. Ed Vedder is an absolute genius, very, very deep lyrics but PJ get very little mention in the UK, even though they could possibly be one of the best rock bands of the last 20 years.
  
  To leave out such important bands as the following is a real shame; Alice In Chains (Dirt an absolute classic, probably the best Grunge album, summing up the whole heroin induced depressing scene), Screaming Trees, Sonic Youth, Hole, Soundgarden (SuperUnknown is almost always in the top four listings of best rock albums of the 1990s), Dinosaur Jr, Smashing Pumpkins (Chicago), Stone Temple Pilots (San Diego) etc. I am happy that Mudhoney will be mentioned as it was Mark Arm who stated 'the streets are paved with grunge in Seattle', where the name Grunge came from. They have never had the accolade they deserve.
  
  I was fortunate to see Nirvana twice, including the headline at Reading in 1992. There has, and probably never will be another 'Teen Spirit', it was the only song where whole dance floors moved! I feel honored to have been a nineteen year old youth at the time Grunge broke out. It’s big, it’s still as important today as it ever was, just look at the some of the recent bands that have been influenced, to name a few; Nickleback, Creed, QOTSA, Seether, Bush, Sinch, Fuel, Second Coming, Hurt, Silverchair, Nine Black Alps, Foo Fighers Etc.
  
  I just hope the producers decide to continue with a follow up series with a bit more depth in each sector. Life is short and any voice that could encourage people to get into this music, even today is valid.

  John, Stoke on Trent
  Quite entertaning, but full of glaring omissions.No mention of Marc Bolan or 70s progressive rock, no mention of influential post punk bands such as Joy Division/New Order, Gang of Four and Echo and the Bunnymen and no mention of latterday American bands such as White Stripes and The Strokes

  James, Leeds
  Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement pretty much defined American Indie music, yet they are not listed here? This series is majorly flawed. I was also hoping that an episode may tap into shoegazer and post rock music, but as far as i can see it's neglecting one of the most interesting moments in contemporary English music. The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine are probably up there as two of the most important bands of the late 1980-90s

  Richard, Rugby
  It does look like a pretty sweet program but i have to say i am surprised about the absence of sonic youth, dinosaur jr and the smashing pumpkins. I also think more focus should be drawn on 'bleach' rather than 'nevermind' as it is clearly the better, and undoubtedly more alternative album.

  paul elkins, london
  finally some posts where people dismiss jokers like pearl jam and the red hot chili peppers...and then someone goes and calls the chili's a funk band. like katie melua sings the blues and jamie cullum plays jazz like coltrane.this place.

  Jonathan, Basingstoke
  Fugazi? The Jesus Lizard? Sonic Youth? Ministry? Kyuss? Sebadoh? Butthole Surfers? And will we get a look at how such vital and honest music evolved into the 21st Century - Shellac, The Evans, even Queens Of The Stone Age?

  Emma, Wolverhampton.
  Murmur! What about the 'Chronic Town' EP?REM at birth. Anyway to me thay are still at the cutting edge of alternative rock and the greatest band in the world.

  Ash, London
  Pixies were a very important band. Without their presence, there may never have been a rising in alternative rock.

  Al, London
  Just the lone Pearl Jam track? No Mother Love Bone? Green River? Sonic Youth? Seems a bit disappointing that Nirvana always seems to end up the main focus of these types of programmes and a lot of the scene is just neglected.. Ah well, better wait and see I suppose.

  reidy bristol
  u gotta include rage against the machine on this program

  matt, basingstoke on the aberystwyth
  good to see so many people notice the glaring ommission that is sonic youth, who in my opinion are one of the most important bands of the last 25 years. Daydream Nation for me is the most important and most spine chillingly amazing of any album of the 80s and early 90s American indie era. Dinosaur Jr, smashing pumpkins (i suppose), flaming lips, pavement, sebadoh and yo la tengo deserve mentions. It's called left of the dial so even the smaller (yet seminal) bands should be mentioned!

  John, Newport
  SHIRLEY IN CUMBRIA - it has clearly escaped your notice that radiohead NEVER do TV interviews. They're over-rated anyway and nothing more than a bunch of posh naval gazers.

  Dave. Merseyside
  Like the others, I'm surprised that there's no discussion of Soundgarden, The Smashing Pumpkins, Dinosaur Jr, Pearl Jam, Screaming Trees, Stone Temple Pilots...as always, it's Kurt Cobain who gets all the coverage. Haven't we heard his story enough times? And by the way, if we're talking about the era up to 1994, you've got to mention Rage Against The Machine...

  Pez_75 Newcastle under Lyme
  At last someone talking sense - Ogsy, take a bow.The majority of the others are talking shaight and missing the point of the programme.

  Shirley, Cumbria
  One glaring omission to what is proving to be a very good attempt to summarise the 'history of rock' - RADIOHEAD and their ground breaking album OK Computer.

  Delane
  I understand the omission of The Chilis, as they were a funk band before alt took off, and realise that there is only an hour to cover an entire genre... but to miss out Jane's Addiction is just ludicrous. In a city full of cock-rock they paved the way for the Seattle bands to get air-time outside of Washington...and they launched Lollapalooza! I don't believe for one minute they couldn't at least have got an interview with Dave "Media Whore" Navarro" for the programme. They may as well go the whole series without mentioning Led Zeppelin.

  jerry leo, Ireland
  Great to see some recognition of Husker Du and Replacements not to mention the mighty Black Flag however where is Mission of Burma, Minor Threat or the hugely influential Dead Kennedys? To be fair you would need a good two hours to explore the impact of the American hardcore explosion on todays music scene. Too many top notch bands have gone unrecognised and at least the BBC have gone a little way in redressing this.

  Ogsy, Stevenage, UK
  It's a crying shame there's no Sonic Youth, Pavement, Throwing Muses, Babes In Toyland, Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh et al, but the confines of the programme would obviously make this difficult. Finally, however, Pixies are being recognised as one of the greatest influences on rock music since the Velvet Underground. As for the Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam, saying that they were at the forefront of this movement is about as valid as calling The Killers 'alternative'.

  Bob, UK
  According to Wikipedia, Pearl Jam's Ten has sold 15 million + copies and Nirvana's Nevermind has sold 26 million copies.

  Joolz, England
  I have to agree that Pearl Jam's "Ten" is an album so good it should be mentioned. Soundgarden really should be in there, or at least in the Rock section, and I can't believe Janes Addiction is missing. Nine Inch Nail and Ministry, the list goes on.Guess I like my Grunge to much.

  dave in Sheff
  Oh dear. No mention of the seminal Screaming Trees and Mark Lanegan or Husker Du by the look of it. Yet again I fear for the viewer as they are about to suffer a re-tread of poor Mr.Cobain's last moments drawn out and commented on by the usual Oxbridge journo's..........the BBC making tedium from excitement ! You should patent this style of "journalism" you muppets.

  Mark, Northampton
  Thank god, the Replacements have been included. Beacause, let's face it, the Replacements + Pixies = Nirvana. Still, no Bastards of Young?! I'm glad there's no Chili Peppers, they've really tainted their legacy with the MOR rubbish of the last few years.

  John, Brighton
  Right,Nirvana, I can understand. But how on earth can you mention Mudhoney and Nirvana without a sole mention of Pearl Jam?! Or even Soundgarden? Stone Temple Pilots anyone? No? Red Hot Chilli Peppers? I bet most of this show wil be about people discussing Kurt Cobain's death. Just like every other 'Alternative Rock' programme anyone has ever done.

  James Basingstoke
  It should have been 55 mins on Pearl Jam and 5 on Nivana. Shame on you BBC....

  Jade A Stoke On Trent
  I was born and raised listening to Nirvana litrely the day i was born i had a picture taken with the nevermind vinal :) i still have the photo to this day! I love and respect nirvanas music! and always will its taken me through some tough times and I think kurt was a total genius and his music will live on just tas the memory of kurt will! the hole nirvana story fasinates me and i cant wait for this programme!

  paul elkins, london
  Ignoring frat boy rock like Pearl Jam and the Chili's might be the only correct thing this show does, so lay off guys.

  Myk, Scotland
  I noticed in Nirvana's section of this website and according to your information "Nirvana inspired Soundgarden” HA! Soundgardens first album Ultramega OK was out for a whole year before Nirvana's first album, come on BBC how about getting your facts right. Have your researchers ever heard of Wikipedia? Or do they just make it up as they go along?Also its "The Melvins" and not "The Foo Melvins" I'll assume this is just a typo? Or is it when King Buzzo gets pissed before he goes on stage :-)Oh! And another thing, Why O Why is their NO Frank Zappa? This man was a GOD! Apart from that, I'm really enjoying Seven Ages of Rock.

  Paul, Fareham
  Gotta agree with some of these comments, Pearl Jam's "Ten" outsold "Nevermind", and if he Cobain hadn't killed himself we'd all have long forgotten about Nirvana by now... However, you must give the show's makers some credit for actually making the series, i'm certainly enjoying it so far!

  Jack, London
  NIN? Marilyn? Pumpkins? Damnit...

  Phil, Edinburgh
  I'm sorry but there is absolutely no justification in leaving out Pearl Jam. When everyone else was flying off the rails, it was PJ that stood solid and they're still recording some of the best music out there today. Leaving them out is a terrible, terrible oversight.

  Andrew, London
  Much as I'm looking forwards to these shows, HOW can you have an episode on Punk, another on 'Altenative' and not pay dues to IGGY AND THE STOOGES?They influenced EVERY SINGLE Punk, Hardcore and Altenative band, they pritty much invented the whole sound in 1969!!!

  Ben
  Shakespears Sister ? Green Day ?

  Kate
  shame you cant include Shakespears Sister alternitive and rock with a pop twist they were and are inspireing

  Adam, Gateshead
  I'm dead pleased to see the Huskers and the 'mats getting a tip of the hat. I like the way the program concerns the influence of certain bands rather than focussing on those who were merely popular, therefore it is a shame that Sonic Youth and Pavement didn't get a mention.

  Troy, Bristol
  could have mentioned bands such as Melvins, Tad, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, .. .. my main rant mtho. . .Where are Alice In Chains??? . . .They were just as important as any other band of this era

  David, Dublin
  Ehemm, where is the mention of Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins....The roots of alternative rock are well covered, but the explosion of the quality bands above is not dealt with. Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie album, Pearl Jam's Ten and the Chili's Bloodsugar albums were cinder blocks of this genre......

  Ben
  shame the alternitive Queens SHAKESPEARS SISTER are not in here we had alternative left of the dial bands in UK to

  Kieran, Glasgow
  This sounds like it misses an opportunity to show how 'Grunge' survived beyond Cobain. Just after his death the immense black whole sun from Soundgardens masterpiece Superunknown

  Nathan, Kent
  Great to see Hüsker Dü finally get some recognition from the mainstream. Dinosaur or Sonic Youth should be in this show, the release of "Sister" and "Daydream..." are just as big landmarks as "Surfer Rosa" but, what they hey, if those Hüskers are here, i'm happy.

  Philip, Newcastle on Tyne
  REM and Nirvana are alternative rock? REM are stadium rock! You have absolutely NO idea what you are missing and what is truly alternative, since by a true definition of alternative it is not on the producer/director's radar, and hence doesn't appear on his list.......QED.

  Janie, Seattle
  I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!! I used to use Teen Spirit deodorant (I wasn't quite a teen, but .. hey). Anyhooo, I had no idea it was anything to do with Nirvana. Did they name the deodorant after the song? I am really surprised Kurt agreed to that cos he always seemed so against any of the commercial stuff. Oh well, I guess that's another of my rock dreams shattered. I am soooooo envious of you guys in Brit land. Any chance we'll get to see this series in the good old US of A??

  Bertice, Miami but now in High Wycombe
  Hey, Robert Director/Producer, you look like one cool alternative rock dude. I am sooooo looking forward to this film. I just love Nirvana (poor Kurt) and as for the Pixies ..... Wow! To see that kookie broad Kim Deal on Brit TV is gonna be awesome. My friend Sebbo just loved The Pixies. I could never quite get them but I am really looking forward to seeing and hearing them. Rock on Robert!

  Mike, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne UK
  Hmm - where is IMO the best band to arrive from the Seattle scene, Alice In Chains? I have heard no mention of them from anyone yet. Also, while I agree with you on some part of the RHCP alt-rock phase, you appear to be overlooking the fact they could still be classed as funk at the time of the show. Their funk albums at the time were The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Freaky Styley, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, and Mothers Milk. They then had two real alt-rock albums in BloodSugarSexMagik, and One Hot Minute, but there would have been little input for them due to the fact the program is only an hour long.Still - NO ALICE IN CHAINS! :\

  paul elkins, london
  REM a stadium band? Did you not hear them invent alternative rock in 1983 with Murmur? I hope you're under thirty.It's never been "The Pixies".The mediocre Chili Peppers are rightfully dismissed here, simply jock rock, funk rock for those who haven't ever listened to funk.No Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr is a shame, but 9/10 for effort, guys.

  James, Maidstone
  No RATM!! :OThey were clearly a huge part of their own alt scene, both musically and lyrically

  Mike, Sydney Australia
  No Cat Stevens? you can't be serious. I agree with Alex, James and Martin, Cat Stevens was one of the most successful solo performers of the sixties and seventies with a string of singles in many territories. Stevens recorded and toured with artists ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Engelbert Humperdinck, being the star of the show in many occasions. He was considered a teen pop sensation in 60s, placing several single releases in the British pop music charts and in 70s became internationally acclaimed singer/song-writer. Here Comes MY Baby…if that is not rock, what is?

  Whittle, Bolton
  I agree with Bentos industriel music should have a say in this seris just listening to Nine Inck Nails makes want to go and try it out.

  Pamela, Newcastle upon Tyne
  Where the hell are GREEN DAY?!?! Dookie was one of the best albums of the 90's and this band have stood the test of time. Am shocked they don't even get a mention. Having said that I loved the first programme about Jimi Hendrix but agree with alot of others and feel Led Zepp should have been featured in this programme alot more.

  Tim, Poole
  Minutemen??

  Dimmy, Cambs
  No RHCP!!? Its odd that you can cut a band so clearly out of your "History of Rock." Also why pictures of Lego men? Dumb.

  David, Newcastle
  CAT STEVENS in Seven Ages of Rock???? He is NOT a Rock artist. Interesting that you can't see this. We might as well ask Where is Kylie Minogue????? And who are Wheatus? I mean, really....

  Kara Rochester
  I am very excited about this one, R.E.M. are my favourite band, and just to see new clips of the guys will be amazing! Seeing the history of Nirvana will be good too! This series is brilliant!

  MYNAMEISMARY
  I can't belive you middle class dweebs have written Pearl Jam out of this...Eddie Veder IS alternative Rock!!!!!

  Martin, Calgary, Alberta Canada
  Very good show for the lucky ones in the UK. However, I didn't see Cat Stevens in your list of the 60s or 70s Artists/legends. How could you leave out such a globally acclaimed British talent!

  James, Houston
  Looks like a great show, but where is Cat Stvens, the man who defined 70s generation with great and timeless hits and albums.

  Alex, London
  I am very disappointed, as I didn't see Cat Stevens on your list of influential British Music Artists. His music was popular on both sides of the Atlantic during 60s and 70s and still is. Have you been unfairly selective here? See the recent 3 hour long, BBC 1 & 4 dedicated programmes on his influence on Rock and how he mixed folk and rock to come up with his own brand of rock, which is timeless. How could you leave out a man who defined a generation (60s-70s) of searchers (i.e. searching the meaning of life)!

  Dave, Birmingham
  So band like Sonic Youth and Smashing Pumpkins are missing why? It not like one of those bands had the highest ever selling double-album or anything!

  barkat
  Where's Wheatus?

  Liz - USA
  I caught a question in another segment of this website: How do you tell the story of punk in a one hour programme? Actually, how to tell the story of rock in seven? Radiohead, the Go-Betweens, Elliot Smith, Ray Davies, and the Eels are the first apparent omissions that come to mind... ah, well. What is up here will do nicely for starters. PS: Thank you for not rehashing spandex and hair bands; I got quite enough of that back then!

  Dan, Winchester
  Loved the show the other night and looking forward to the next ones. But Chris is right - where are the Chilis? And where is funk?

  iain ,edinburgh
  rollins was the worst singer Black Flag ever had,he said as much himself when he said the album worth checkin out the most is The First Four Years.also on The 'Mats( Replacements) you give Slim and Steve Foley as principal band members,rather than Bob Stinson and Chris Mars.Maybe bein overly pedantic,but i have been hoping somebody would do a programme on this "Alternative Rock".i am the same when watchin things about New York Punk,and the Talking Heads come on,just feel they spoil it.lookin forward to the programme.

  joey, Belgium (or Flanders if you like)
  Looks like a great documentary. Only concern is: where are all the other bands that had such a large influence on the Grunge scene? Where are The Melvins, Green River, the Meat Puppets, etc.? These bands were favourites of Kurt Cobain, and had a huge influence on his music.

  Steve,South Wales
  I don't think the Red Hot Chilli Peppers were mentioned because their influences derive from a variety of different genres and so may not be strictly defined as "rock". Meanwhile industrial music takes a great deal from synth bands like Depeche Mode, Krafwerk etc etc and so probs won't be seen as "pure" enough for this programme.In terms of the nine bands that were chosen I have to say that the choices are pretty much spot on. Still, I would have thought that Husker Du had a bigger overall influence of shaping alternative rock than contempories Black Flag and would've thought they'd have more of a mention.

  Euan, Ulverston
  I don't think RHCP are relevent to this scene and haven't been anywhere near as influential as most of these bands. Surprised to see only one Hüsker Dü song in the featured tracks :/

  Zoe, Glasgow
  So what happened to Sonic Youth? The release of 'Daydream Nation' was just as significant as 'Surfer Rosa' and 'Nevermind', if not more so. Dinosaur Jr and My Bloody Valentine deserve a mention too!

  Andrew Brown, London
  No Sonic Youth? No Dinosaur Jr? No lo-fi? And how are REM not a Stadium Rock band?

  Darryl Steventon, Tamworth
  If it wasn't for Cobain killing himself, we would be sat watching a programme about how three other, better albums shaped 'alternative' music rather than the only-good-not-great Nevermind.The three albums? Ten - Pearl Jam, Badmotorfinger - Soundgarden and The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails. These three albums defined their sounds - different in each way, and still influential today - you only have to look at band such as the Killers and Maximo Park to see where NIN has led,.

  Adrian Wake, Newcastle, UK
  What, no Sonic Youth !!

  John. London
  I agree with Chris. Where are the Chili Peppers? Bloodsugarsexmagik is easily one of the greatest alt. rock records ever made! Come on! The Chilis created that genre practically!

  David, Teesside
  At last, 'The Replacements' and 'Husker Du' get some mainstream TV coverage, just how much coverage, I'll await with caution.

  Ollie, Oxford
  R.E.M. are just the greatest

  Bentos
  I normally hate it when people say things like this but im suprised there hasnt been more mention of industrial music which peaked just after grunge with Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Marilyn Manson etcbut kudos for such an interesting topic for a tv series

  Chris, London
  Very excited about the series when it airs. Only one concern, where the hell are the Red Hot Chili Peppers, easily alongside Nirvana and the others as key parts of alt rock. I am a big fan of Seattle grunge, but one feels this program along with much other analysis of the early 90s is too focussed on this scene alone at the expense of others in particular LA (Janes Addiction, Chili Peppers etc). I understand that the story of alt rock (let along rock itself!) is a huge topic and ommissions had to be made, but this is a very very big one! Other than this slight criticism I am very excited about this program and the series in general!